Our Fitness Blog

Five Factors that Could Decrease Your Workout Energy

Everyone has those days when they just do not feel like getting out of bed; however, if you begin to notice that these types of days are becoming more regular, it may be time to look at your routine and try to figure out what may be causing this. It can be easy to try and pass some of it off as aging as we get older. However, there are many factors that can affect your workout energy. Here we will look at a few of these factors to help you discover if any of them could be draining your workout energy.

Medication

There are many medications that are widely used that list fatigue as a side effect, such as diuretics, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, steroids and even some antibiotics. You could easily be affecting your workout energy by simply taking your everyday prescriptions and not even know it. If you do believe that your medication could be affecting your energy level, you should ask your doctor for a different type of medication. (Note: never switch your medicine without first consulting your doctor!)

Dehydration

Hydration plays an important role in our workouts. It takes days or longer to get the body correctly rehydrated once you reach a dehydration state. So, you need to make sure you are staying hydrated before, during and after your workout. You should drink plenty of water throughout the day just to be sure that you are staying hydrated. You should also consume 12-16 oz of water with every meal and snack you eat throughout the day as well!

Recovery time

Your body needs to have some down time to totally recover from your workout. It can be different for everyone, and we may notice that as we get older it may take us longer to recover from our workouts. The best thing to do is to listen to your body and make sure that you are getting enough sleep at night because this is the perfect time for our bodies to recover. If your body does not feel fully recovered, it is best to take another day off or perform some low impact exercises until you feel back to normal.

Improper breathing

Many of us do not know the proper way to breathe as we exercise, and it can have adverse effects on our fitness routines. If you do not breathe or breathe in fast, shallow breathes you can end up hurting yourself. Your muscles need oxygen, so be sure to breath in through your nose and out your mouth. Don’t take lots of short breaths or this may lead to hyperventilation. Correct breathing regulates your heart rate as well, which directly impacts your workout!

Eating habits

Most of us aware that what we eat affects our energy levels. We need to keep our blood sugar stable in order to keep our energy levels from dropping. Therefore, we need to eat small meals every 3 hours throughout the day that contain lean protein, carbohydrates and dietary fat. There’s a myriad of ways to combine these 3 macronutrients correctly! Remember, alcohol has a major factor as well in our ability to perform. Even one drink will affect the next morning’s workout, so be very mindful of limiting adult beverages if you want to see real results.

There are many different factors that can affect our energy levels. Be honest with yourself and manipulate these variables to get the best results possible.